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Her Shop Is Flourishing Thanks to "Ninja" Entrepreneurship

A Women in Screen Printing Award winner, Megan Urban is known for her sneakiness in the best sense of the word.

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Her Shop Is Flourishing Thanks to “Ninja” Entrepreneurship
Megan Urban
Owner | Idntiteez | Marysville, Kansas

Q: All three screen printers who nominated you referred to you as a “ninja entrepreneur” because you’ve pushed the industry forward by being a “strong, silent, humble, sneaky, and profoundly positive influence and example.” What motivates you to make this industry and your business better?

MU: The people I have met at events like Shirt Lab and tradeshows have been an extreme asset to my business. I am also in a Sprint group that meets twice a week, and we work on our business and set goals. To be able to bounce ideas and talk shop with people in your same position is very encouraging and rewarding. I may be a quiet person, but I’m always pushing myself to learn more and be a positive influence in the community. I am always thinking about what I could do next to grow my business.

Q: Can you explain the Together is Better campaign you created to support people in your community?

MU: The Together is Better campaign was started during COVID. It really helped us get through the tough times with all the events being canceled. It started out as just our local businesses within our community and eventually we had businesses all throughout the state of Kansas and Nebraska that were participating. We ended up giving back more than $50,000 to small businesses. In return, we gained a lot of new customers and it really helped us grow as a business through COVID.

 “I like to educate myself on the newest technology and attend events with the industry to help grow my business and motivate me,” says Megan.

“I like to educate myself on the newest technology and attend events with the industry to help grow my business and motivate me,” says Megan.

Q: You started your business 15 years ago with a manual and have since added an automatic press, UV printing, embroidery, sublimation, laser engraving, and recently purchased your own building. What are your tips for growing your company?

MU: In the last three years we have grown tremendously as a company. When we added our ROQ auto it helped us be more efficient and cut down our production time. We continued to bring in more equipment to add more options for our customers that we could do in-house and offer quick turnaround times. Our business is located in a very rural area; customer satisfaction is huge in a small-town setting. We go out of our way to make our customers’ experience pleasant. When a customer places an order, we make it as easy as possible for them through every step. Once we earn their respect, they become a loyal customer for life. We strive to make sure every customer is happy and will go above and beyond to make that happen. The biggest accomplishment so far would be just looking back at where we started and seeing how far we have come in 15 years. It is exciting to see what the future holds in our industry.

Q: What does being a woman in the screen printing industry mean to you?

MU: I have never let being a woman hold me back in the industry. I have always been a competitive person and I use that to my advantage in my business. All of the printers in my shop are women. My employees are great and none of this would be possible without them. I learned from my mother – who was a business owner when I was growing up – that hard work and treating your customers with respect will get you far in life. I hope to pass down this trait to my children and show them that with hard work and determination you can get anywhere in life you want to be.

PHOTO GALLERY (3 IMAGES)

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LET’S TALK About It: Part 3 discusses how four screen printers have employed people with disabilities, why you should consider doing the same, the resources that are available, and more. Watch the live webinar, held August 16, moderated by Adrienne Palmer, editor-in-chief, Screen Printing magazine, with panelists Ali Banholzer, Amber Massey, Ryan Moor, and Jed Seifert. The multi-part series is hosted exclusively by ROQ.US and U.N.I.T.E Together. Let’s Talk About It: Part 1 focused on Black, female screen printers and can be watched here; Part 2 focused on the LGBTQ+ community and can be watched here.

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